Management of the young horse in the key periods of his life

The first half an hour after birth is considered to be a critical moment for creating mother-foal ties (Houpt, 2002). During this period, the mare identifies the foal as hers thanks to exploratory behaviour (by sight, sound and smell). The foal’s attachment to his mother is not completed until the second week of his life. It is therefore preferable to keep them seperate from the group, in a small paddock during this period.

A post-natal manipulation technique called « impregnation », is sometimes implemented with a view of making the foal easier to handle by man as he grows (Miller method). However, long and short term relationship to man have been put into perspective by other researchers. It would appear that this method can have damaging consequences on the foal’s later social behaviour ( over attachment to the mother, lack of playful behaviour, fewer social skills, aggressivity towards other horses) and on the foal’s relationship to man (Henri et al., 2010).
Other usual human intervention around foaling have also been studied. Thus helping the foal suckle (helping him find the teats, holding his head….), and stroking in his first days have negative consequences on the future man-horse relationship (mistrust) (Henry et al., 2006 et 2010).
Consequently, any intervention on the foal immediately after birth should be kept to a minimum (injections, disinfecting the umbilical cord, administering a serum), especially for the first 30 minutes after birth.

In order to build a trusting relationship with the foal, man should have a positive interaction with him, and not one systematically associated with unpleasant situations. Indirect approaches appear to work best, especially with very young animals. It has been shown that the young foal’s behaviour towards man is influenced by his mother’s behaviour, and that taming the mother allows to tame the foal. Thus, when the mother is handled (putting on a headcollar), and groomed with the very young foal left free around his mother, he shows a more inquisitive behaviour towards man and allows himself to be approached and touched at the ages of 1 month and 1 year (Henry, 2005). The same is true if the foal is exposed to unknown objects, which his mother was accustomed to before foaling : the foals are usually less apprehensive at the age of 5 months (Christensen, 2016).

Several methods can be used to minimise stress during this period (Houpt et al., 1985 ; Hoffman et al., 1995 ; McCall et al., 1987 ; Wulf et al., 2008)
•    Weaning in a group and in a paddock is preferable to weaning the foal alone in a stable ;
•    If weaning in a stable is the option chosen, the young animals can be weaned two by two, but take care to watch out for aggressive behaviour and act in consequence ;
•    Partially seperating mare and foal (they can see, hear and touch over a separation, but the foal cannot suckle), is probably preferable to an abrupt separation (the mare is taken away to another place). Recent studies have shown that partial and gradual separation over a gate or fence, associated with distribution of feed, reduces the foal’s stress when weaning (Lansade, 2016) ;
•    Taking the mares out of the group one by one with a few days between each removal, appears to create less stress than removing all the mares the same day ;
•    It is aso advisable to start giving adapted concentrated feeds before weaning, with a mineral supplement to help combat the stress of separation

Obviously, the method chosen for weaning will be adapted to each stud’s infrastructure, the type of horse, and breeding practices….
Following weaning, the foal’s living conditions are important. For good behavioural development, it is better to keep foals in groups and at grass (Heleski et al., 2002).

In practice, young horses are often kept in groups, sometimes mixed sex groups, but of the same age. A study has recenty shown that it is of benefit to include adult horses in the groups (chosen for their docility), as this enhances positive social ties right from weaning (Bourjade et al., 2008 ; Henry, 2012). It is also demonstrated that young males are more aggressive towards other horses after an isolation period  (Christensen et al., 2002). It is therefore recommended to keep them in the group for as long as possible.
It is interesting to note, that the day following weaning, or being stabled, the foal is more receptive to being handled, or to learning from man (Lansade, 2012). Moreover, anything learned at weaning appears to have a more lasting effect than anything learned just after birth (Lansade, 2004 ; Lansade, 2005).

Il est intéressant de souligner que le lendemain du sevrage ou d’une mise en box, le poulain est plus réceptif aux manipulations et apprentissages proposés par l’Homme (Lansade, 2012). De plus, les acquis lors des apprentissages au moment du sevrage auraient tendance à perdurer plus longtemps que ceux pratiqués juste après le poulinage (Lansade, 2004 ; Lansade, 2005).

Depending on the breed and usage, the young horse is subjected to transition periods between breeding and competition, be it preparation for the sales, for breaking-in, or for pre-training.

All these periods give rise to stress, and can lead to risks for the young horse, and carers looking after them. To make the transitions easier, the young horse’s daily life can be enhanced with environmental improvements : feeding (changing the feeding area, stimulating taste…) Changing environment (accomodation), stimulating the senses (sight, touch, hearing and smell) and new situations (isolating the horse when being showered down...)(Lansade et al., 2011).
Thus, a programme of environmental enrichments was implemented for a group of thoroughbred yearlings during their preparation for the sales. Positive results were apparent : lesser stress when socially isolated in an unknown place (stables at the sales) and decrease of dangerous behaviour (rearing, spooking, biting….).
During breaking-in, the way the horses live is very important. They appear better adapted to training when they live in groups (paddocks or group stabling) and less aggressive towards man (Rivera et al., 2002 ; Sondergaard et Ladewig, 2004).